The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 276

fully to Egypt, and it is for the Israelites to show by some significant act the f!eep difference which separates between them and the Egyptians. There had been, np to this time, certain <liffcrcnces between the Egyptian and the Israelite which did not depon<l upon the Isrn.clito's choice. The Egyptian was master, and the Israelite slave. assuredly the Israelite had not chosen that. An Egyptian might soon lose all trace of his personal ancestry, but every Israelite could trace his ancestry back to Jacob, to Isaac, to Abraham; and this was a matter he had not chosen. The Egyptian belon"ed to a nation which had been smitten with nine plagues, but from the later and severe; of these the Israelite dwelling in Goshen had been free; yet this freedom had been secured without making it to depend on the Israelite's own action. But now, as the day of redemption draws near, Jehovah reminds every Israelite that underneath all the differences which, in carrying out His purposes, He may make to exist among men, there is a common humanity. Before Him who comes smiting at midnight there is neither Israelite nor Egyptian, bond nor free; everything depends on the sprinkled blood ; and the sprinkled blood depends on whether the Israelite has put it on his door of his own accord. If, that night, the Israelite did not of his own accord make a difference between himself and the Egyptian, then no natural distinction or past im- munity was of the slightest avail. Even already it is being shown that circumcision availeth nothing, but a new creature. Israel can only be truly Israel as he is Israe! inwardly. The mark upon the door without must come from the perfect heart and willing mind within. The only great abiding differences between man and man are such as we, folly considering our position, concur in making of our own free will. True it is that we cannot establish and complete these differences in our own strength; but it is very certain that God will not do this-indeed, by the very limitations of the thing to be done, he cannot--except as we willingly and with alacrity give him opportunity. II. In these instructions for the Passover, Goo BRINGS THE FU:t.'DA.MENTAL ELEMENT OF PURE FAITH INTO ACTIVE EXERCISE. In Heb. xi. 28 we are told that by faith Moses kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the first-born should touch them. And this faith extended from Moses to every head of a household in Israel. The whole instructions imply a trustful, disciplined spirit, on the part of those receiving them. Up to this time nothing had been required of them except to stand still and wait while God dealt with Pharaoh. They are left on one side, treated as helpless captives, whom it is vain to ask for what they cannot give. But now they are asked for something, and they have not only to render it willingly, but with the obedience of faith (Rom. xvi. 26). They are asked to slay a number of lambs, the number being determined according to a settled proportion. When the lambs are slain, the blood is to be sprinkled on the doors of each Israelite dwelling, and the flesh, pre- pared in a peculiar and exact way, is to be eaten by the inhabitants. Well, u·hat should all this have to do with the protection of Israel 1 How should it advance the captives towards deliverance? If God had told them to get ready swords and spears, and discipline themselves for battle there would have been something intelligible in such instructions, something according to the schemes of human wisdom. But God. does not deliver as men would deliver. It pleased him, in the fulness of time and by the foolishness of a slain lamb and sprinkled blood to save Israel. And yet it was not the slain lamb and sprinkled blood that saved by themselves. Moses and Aaron might have slain so many lambs and sprinkled their blood, and yet there would have been no efficacy in them. Their efficacy as protectors was not a natural efficacy. The efficacy lay in this: that the lambs were slain and the blood sprinkled in the obedience of faith. The thing done and the spirit in which it is done-truth and faith-go together in resistless power. There must be truth; faith by itself does nothing; for a man may believe a lie and then where is he? There must be faith; truth by itself does nothing; just as food does nothing unless a man takes it into his stomach. Of course it was quite possible for a sceptical Israelite to say, " What can there be in this sprinkled blood? "-and the very fact that such a question was possible shows how God was shutting his people up to pure faith. He asks them to act simply on the word of 1lfosss. That word was now to be a sufficient reason for their conduct. Moses had done enough to show from whom he came. It is interesting to notice how faith stands here, asked for, the first thing, by Moses, even as it was. afterwards by Jesus. As the Israelites believed because Moses spoke, so we must believe because Jesus speaks. Jesus speaks 270 THE BOOK OF EXODUS. [cH, xn. 1-28.